MADISON — Barry Alvarez’s contract as Wisconsin’s athletic director runs through January of 2021, but it’s looking like he might already have a replacement in mind.

On Wednesday, the school announced that Chris McIntosh, currently the associate athletic director for business development, had been promoted to deputy athletic director, the No. 2 job in the athletic department, replacing Walter Dickey.

“I am always looking to put people into positions and give them responsibilities that are in the best interests of the department,” Alvarez said in a statement. “We are fortunate here to have a lot of staff who are very experienced and committed to seeing our student-athletes succeed on and off the fields of play.”

McIntosh played for Alvarez at Wisconsin in the late 1990s, earning All-American honors at left tackle as a senior in 1999 when he captained the Badgers to a second-straight Big Ten title and another Rose Bowl victory. He returned to his alma mater in 2014 in an administrative role and has quickly moved up the ranks.

Alvarez, who will turn 71 in December, has not given a timetable on how much longer he wants to serve as athletic director.